


What goes bump in the night

by DarkShadeless



Series: Magnolia Drive [7]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: ;), Gen, Halloween story, Hardison braves Magnolia drive, and will they make it back out in one piece?, but what will he and his Decidueye find?, creepy but sweet, dun dun dun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 20:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21203876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkShadeless/pseuds/DarkShadeless
Summary: It’s just out of sight. But do you dare look?





	What goes bump in the night

**Author's Note:**

> Oh dear, I had actually planned to post the last of this series on Halloween. That could get close.  
For now... hehehe. Have fun ;)

Hardison steps through the arch of twisted tree limbs at the beginning of Magnolia drive with the wariness of a seasoned soldier. This is enemy territory. Few wild pokemon take it well when their home turf is invaded.

Decidueye is a hodded shadow at his side, ready to become one with the camouflage in a heartbeat.

On the other side of the arch, the road is eerily quiet. The last echoes of the sounds of Laona waking and going about it's business, that kept them company on the way here, fall away. It's as if they have crossed into another world.

Not impossible, from what Hardison knows about Ghost pokemon. Some of them have fearsome powers.

A chitter overhead makes him duck into the underbrush reflexively, his pokemon but a step behind him.

_Where are you… ah. _There, in the tree tops over the street, a picture right out of a nightmare unfolds. Spinarak dart through the leaves, spinning net over net. They're on the best way to creating a second canopy.

And there, right in the middle of that nest…

_Oh, my. Look at you, you pretty thing._

The Ariados' carapace is so glossy and vibrant the red and gold sets it apart even im the diffuse light, an unmistakeable warning sign to anyone who knows nature well. One bite could be all it takes.

Strange, though, to find such a creature so close to a street where humans pass regularly. Unlike their smaller pre-evolved cousins they prefer their peace and quiet and wouldn't be found in barns and rarely opened attics.

_Where did you come from, hm?_

Hardison throws Decidueye a look. His pokemon glances at him before it musters the patterns of the web. A few moments later it slides deeper into the forest, away from the road.

_Alright, here we go._

* * *

Annie pauses in mixing her batter to throw a worried glance at one of her babies. Mimi has been staring out the window all day. Maybe something is wrong? But her sweetheart would say something if it wanted her help… wouldn't it?

She swallows a sigh. As much as she wants to lighten it's strange mood, sometimes a mother has to step back and give her darling some space.

Maybe a few cookies will go a little ways. “What do you think, Kyu? Is it cookie time?”

Kyu looks up at her from where it is watching her sort through her bowls.

“Kyu!”

Annie can’t help a laugh. As far as Kyu is concerned it is _always _cookie time. "Alright then! Let's find a few pumpkin squares, shall we?"

"Kyuyu!"

* * *

The trail of Ariados' migration leads them off the beaten path but it's important to know what you're up against. The hike is certainly informative.

Hardison keeps low, careful not to disturb the vegetation. They've snuck past no less than two Trevenant at what is a ridiculous distance to human civilization for that breed of pokemon. Looks like he wasn't wrong after all. One of them went into town and stopped at the corner of Rosebud Way and Fisher's Run long enough to leave a cold spot the size of his damned car.

A _tree guardian_ in a _city_. Laona is a small settlement, sure, but that doesn't change the significance of it.

What is even more remarkable though… They went and they tore up one garden. _One_.

Usually, when Trevenant get upset enough at human interference to come past the tree line, they don’t stop for anything past wholesale destruction and they bring half the forest with them. They're not Haunter, they don’t crawl out of the woodwork for a _prank_.

This pokemon type has disappeared whole wood processing companies all over the globe.

_But aren't they generally found in old forests? _

Hardison eyes the elm tree he is crouched beside speculatively. As forests go, he would put this patch here at middle age at best, not the kind where you find fivehundred year old japanese ginkos.

Mysteries over mysteries. Like the reason why Ariados migrated in the first place.

He and Decidueye come across a few promising spots that seem to have decent hunting potential and are far less exposed than the place it chose to settle down in before they find it's old nest in a hollowed out tree. What made it travel that far?

Decidueye brushes against Hardison's shoulder and draws him out of his thoughts. "Done inspecting those scratches?"

It nods sharply. "Deci."

Time to move on, then. Best not stop too long in one place. If they are right and there is a Traunmagil out here somewhere Hardison is not in a hurry to meet it.

* * *

"Pumpkin squares, pumpkin squares…" Annie picks a few more cookie boxes up and puts them aside. Cookies aplenty but where are the pumpkin squares? "Did you have a late night snack again, honey?"

"Kyu…"

Kyu's eyes grow large and _hurt_. Truly, how can she place such suspicion on an unfairly accused, innocent pokemon, suspicion of crimes that it has never commited! … this week.

Mimi, then.

(Mimi has indeed pilfered the pumpkin squares. One has to bribe one's henchmen _somehow_.)

Annie smotheres a giggle at the sight of Kyu's antics. "Sorry, baby, no pumpkin. I hope you are happy with raspberry too. Looks like we're harvesting some vegetables today."

* * *

Spirits, this place has everything a Ghost’s heart can desire. It's uncanny, as if someone took the idea of a haunted forest and made it a reality.

They find a small cemetary on the edge closest to the town, withered with age and neglect. It has its own abandoned church, the roof long caved in. Hardison is leery of investigating further. He’s pretty sure he can see a hint of blue witchfire hang around the gravestones. That’s never a good sign.

The cemetery is on the best way of becoming part of the woods. The plants have started to overtake the low wall but not ventured much further. Something is keeping them out, keeping the graveyard clear, and it’s not a gardener.

There are traces of disturbed earth around the trees here, as if they up and walked this way to make the place a part of Magnolia proper. Considering the Trevenant, that idea isn't as outlandish as it sounds.

Not an hour's walk north Hardison stumbles upon a grove of twisted acorns sheltering a _stone circle_ of all things.

The low standing dark rocks look to have been carved with runes.

He isn't getting close enough to confirm that, not without a boatload of banishing smoke. If there are easier ways to get into trouble he can't think of any off the top of his head. Maybe if he stuck his foot directly into a hive of angry Durant...

"Decidueye."

"Yeah, you've got the right of it buddy." This place is _strange_. "I mean," Hardison mutters absently, "what are the chances?"

What are the chances, indeed.

He's still turning that over in his head when they reach the edge of a large clearing. The wood is pretty vast, for such a small village. From the main street to the church, up the hill and down the other side-

There's a house. There's a house on the hill.

Lightning flashes and throws it into sharp relief.

Beside Hardison his pokemon partner has gone stock-still. That speaks to the conclusion he is rapidly coming to. That house has to be at the center of the forest. _How did we not get up here before? _

"Deci."

"Yeah."

They should have, unless something was screwing with them from the very start. Hardison has a bad feeling about this. This whole job is starting to give him a headache.

… wait a moment.

There's a rustle behind them like cloth in the wind. He doesn't turn around. "Decidueye."

His partner must have noticed it before him but not by much, not if he didn't even have time for a warning. The bird pokemon is tense as a spring and staring straight ahead with the same forced attention Hardison is. "Deci."

A single drop of sweat slides down the side of his face. "_Run._"

They take off like a shot. After a few steps Deciueye gives up running for a bad job and takes to the air. Behind them an eerie voice rises barely enough to be called a whisper. "_Traun… **magil.**_"

The singsong bores into Hardison's brain like a hot needle. Gods. Of all things. Their luck had to run out at some point, didn't it?

Could they fight it? Probably. _Should _they fight it? That's a whole other can of worms.

Hardison has the feeling if they piss off the wrong pokemon enough they'll have to deal with a whole grove's worth of 'em. Running it is.

* * *

Annie pushes the last tray into the oven and stretches out the kinks in her back. Gods, that does feel good. "Alright! Who is up for some gardening?"

"Kyu!" Ever enthusiastic about being included, Kyu dashes to where her gardening gloves hang on the wall and bounces up and down next to her basket with the shears. "Kyuyu!"

It’s a little hertbreaking how much it loves to do things _together_. Every little task is special for it. Mimi was like that too, when it first started to open up to her.

It has mellowed somewhat, with time. Her baby still loves to be with her but the slightly manic edge has worn off. It’s no longer afraid every shared moment might be the last.

Kyu will get there, too. Annie is sure of it. She’ll keep proving that she won’t leave it until it can trust that promise.

"Okay, then. Do you know what that means, Kyu?"

"Kyu?" It tilts the head of it's disguise quizzically. Sometimes her babies are so cute Annie could grab them and cuddle them within an in of their life.

She leans in and gives Kyu a conspiratory smile. "That means its pumpkin time."

Her sweety makes a delighted sound that warms her down to her bones. Pumpkin time is pumpkin _square_ time, naturally. Kyu is more than smart enough to know that.

"That's right, baby! Lots of tasty cookies to be made." Now if only… not even the promise of fresh pumpkin squares has tempted Mimi from it's perch. Really, Annie is starting to get a teeny tiny bit worried. "We're heading out. Mimi, do you want to come?"

At the sound of it's name it turns to her but not all the way. "... mi."

Annie swallows. Okay then. That's… that's okay.

* * *

The Traunmagil chases them around in circles until Hardison is convinced his legs will fall off. Persistent bugger.

_It's trying to keep us away from the house._

That much becomes clear on the second go around. Every time he or Decidueye swerve too far into the open it dives at them without hesitation.

_Aren't Traunmagil supposed to be mellow? The type to sit on their ass, hover around and chant at people?_

Chant at people and _curse _them, or give them headaches from hell.

Hardison ducks under a ball of dark energy and doesn't stop to check what happens to the tree it hits. Going by Decidueye's screech it's nothing good.

"Decidueye!"

"_Deci!_"

He doesn't need to speak pokemon to understand what that meant. Yeesh. "Change of plans! Whirlwind! Now!"

Decidueye turns in the air without hesitation and flaps its wings. The air under them condenses into chaotic swirls.

The Traunmagil is flying too fast to evade. That was kind of what Hardiaon was counting on. It's caught in the current and blown off course, into the forest and out of sight.

No time like the present.

_If you can't get out of trouble…_

The Ghost was trying to keep them below the tree line but it hadn't liked leaving it either. Ergo…

Hardison veers sharply to the right, heading straight for the house. Whatever is in there, if they can sneak past it they'll be home free.

* * *

In the backyard Annie looks up from her plants and wipes her brow. Harvesting pumpkins sure is hard work. Kyu wriggles closer to steal a hug in the guise of looking at the gourd she picked out.

Annie wraps her arms around it with a laugh. "Isn't it pretty? Just look at it!" It is, so pretty. Perfectly pumpkin shaped and orange as a dream. The Gourgeist that watches over her vegetable patch preens under her gushing.

She should give it a few extra cookies tonight, it takes care of her plants so well. Annie dares to bet no one else can harvest pumpkins almost all year round. She doesn't even need a glasshouse for it.

No, her little helpers _definitely _deserve a treat.

She's pondering fresh pumpkin squares when a strange sound rends the air.

_OoooooWOWowowoooooooo-_

The wind picks up suddenly. Kyo cheeps in distress and clings to her as the gust tears at its costume. Annie holds it tight and tries to shield it from the worst of it.

Overhead the cute little Zubat that like to nap in her gnarly cherry tree take flight, upset.

They sure have some willful weather today.

* * *

Hardison expects a lot.

He does not expect to vault over the worn picket fence and run over a lady with a basket full of vegetables and a Pikachu.


End file.
